Luke Sick and Wolfagram - Yegg War (2020)

Iron Lung records is more known for his hardcore related releases, but this time they release a hip-hop tape. Luke Sick is the MC and Wolfagram the beatmaker and what they do on Yegg War is boom bap hip-hop with a gangsta/horrorcore atmosphere. I don't know what they have done before, but this is really good. Recommended stuff.

The BC page.

Hexendrone - Libereco Mito​-​Realeco Morto (2019)

Hexendrone is a Russian duo (drums, guitar, noise and vocals), thse two guys have been very prolific in the lats three years and with their label Lärmshturm Records they released many albums or split of their various projects, all going from stoner/doom/sludge to harsh noise/death industrial/power electronics, everything quite raw and radical, and good. Hexendrone is their most sludge project and Libereco Mito​-​Realeco Morto is the second album. It sounds like Eyehategod style sludge, but more minimalistic and with slower and heavier slow parts and faster hardcore parts. Will satisfy anyone liking the rawer and noisier side of slow and heavy music.

The BC page for the album

The Lärmshturm Records BC page

Internal Rot - Grieving Birth (2020)

Grieving Birth is the new album (and their second one, released by Iron Lung) from one of the pillars of the Australian grind scene, Internal Rot. Excellent album of pure grind, deeply rooted in old school, but faster most of the time. Catchy (as grind can be catchy, this is not exactly "radio friendly"!) and punishing at the same time. So far it's my favourite grind release of the year.

The BC page.

Glenn Branca - The Third Ascension (2019)

Sadly this one is a posthumous release since Glenn Branca died in 2018. The Third Ascension is a live recording and  a return to the 4-guitar, bass and drums format of his 1981 release The Ascension as well as 2010's The Ascension: The Sequel. The performance is by The Glenn Branca Ensemble at NYC's The Kitchen in 2016. This excellent album is a "no-wave" masterpiece of noise-rock / jazz-rock / post-metal (but Branca wrote that kind of msuic before metal even existed!)  that does not sound like a mix of different genres but truly show a very personal composing style free of any preconceived limitations. Oh, and this is also super heavy !
Highly recommended stuff that really makes me want to dig into Branca's discography.

The Bandcamp page.

Feed Them Death - Panopticism : Belong/Be Lost (2020)

Feed Them Death is the solo work of Void, its new concept album Panopticism : Belong/Be lost (about Foucault's works Surveiller et Punir and Histoire de la folie) is some excellent death-grind. I would say the avant-garde tag used is exaggerated but for sure he's doing a good work of combining the traditional elements of death/grind with different ideas : theremin, slower songs (but not in the cliché sludge/doom way), a bit of noise/electro, etc. It makes a powerful and interesting album. Recommended stuff!

The BC page.

Retrograde Youth - Mass Asphyxia (2020)

Mass Asphyxia is the first album (after some EP's) from Retrograde Youth. It's mostly synth based, combined with EBM / industrial tech beats, creating a dark futuristic atmosphere through and through. Good stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Ozo - Saturn (2020)

When you're in the mood for some crazy hazy music Mike Vest is always here for you. Ozo is is more recent project, with a first album called Saturn, released with Riot Season Records. This sax, bass, guitar, drums quartet is probably his more "jazzy" band, with its spiritual/free jazz feel and sax/drums parts, but it's also still psych rock as well, and Saturn will sit in good place in the Mike Vest discography. Real cool trippy stuff.

The Bandcamp page. 

Basement Torture Killings - There's Something About Beryl (2017)

Basement Torture Killings is a death/grind band from the UK, sounding closer to Carcass than to Napalm Death, with lyrics about serial killers. Their third album is the first with their new singer Beryl and is called... There's something About Beryl. Their songs have a catchy and nasty groove. Cool stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Bambara - Stray (2020)

This new Bambara album, Stray, like their previous one, is receiving many praises. I have to agree it is indeed of the highest quality. They sound a bit like a mix of Iceage, Nick Cave and The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. Excellent vocals of course and a deep dark atmosphere, classy and rocking hard at the same time. And even if they strongly evoke some existing music they always display creativity in writing their songs. Well, they have everything good and Stray is another truly excellent album form Bambara. I can tell you in the end of the year you find this one in many "best of "lists, mine included.

The Bandcamp page.